A project that started as a small five-year pilot program in the Kootenays in 2016 has received renewed funding through March 2025 that expands it to the Thompson Okanagan region and beyond. The federal government, though Environment and Climate Change Canada has committed $455,000 under the Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) and …
IAF
Ministry hires deputy ministers
Two new assistant deputy ministers are joining the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Michelle Koski is joining the province after five years as CEO of the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. “I am happy to share that I have accepted a position as assistant deputy minister with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food,” she …
Replant report targets industry over orchards
KELOWNA – The future of BC’s tree fruit replant program is no clearer following an audit of the most recent iteration than it was when the province failed to renew the program 18 months ago. The only thing that seems clear is that orchard renewal is likely to be secondary to industry renewal. “We believe …
Bert Miles remembered
VANDERHOOF – Former Burnaby Lake Greenhouses general manager Bert Miles died on July 28. He was 80. Miles, an accountant by profession, was noted as much for his ability to shake up the status quo as he was for his financial expertise and service to the agriculture community. Born in Vancouver and raised in Langley, …
Communities plan for agriculture
BC communities are taking innovative approaches to agriculture planning with the help of $252,773 from the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. IAFBC’s Local Government Partnership Program awarded eight local governments $252,773 in July for agricultural planning and implementation. While four of the recipients will use the funds to create or update agricultural plans, others are …
BC farms deliver big impact
BC agriculture had an economic impact on the province of nearly $8.5 billion in 2019, according to a new study MNP prepared for the BC Agriculture Council and Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. The figure represents the total output of the crop and livestock sectors, as well as indirect impacts from spending on supplies and …